Kings in Disguise
Kings in Disguise | |
---|---|
Publication information | |
Publisher | Kitchen Sink Press |
Genre | fiction |
Publication date | March–August 1988 |
No. of issues | 6 |
Main character(s) | Freddie Bloch Sam (the "King of Spain") |
Creative team | |
Created by | Jim Vance |
Written by | Jim Vance |
Artist(s) | Dan Burr |
Collected editions | |
Kings in Disguise | ISBN 0-393-32848-1 |
Kings in Disguise is a six-issue comic book limited series, published in 1988 by Kitchen Sink Press. It was created by writer Jim Vance and artist Dan Burr. Kings in Disguise is a multiple Harvey and Eisner awards winner, and is considered one of the hundred best comic book stories of all time.[1] It has been hailed by Alan Moore, Will Eisner, Harvey Kurtzman and Art Spiegelman.[2][3]
Set during the Great Depression, the story follows 13-year-old Freddie Bloch, a Jewish boy from the fictional town of Marian, California. When his father and brother are taken from him, Freddie takes to the rails as a hobo. He soon meets Sammy ("the King of Spain"), a sickly older hobo who takes Freddie under his wing. Together, they travel through scarred-riddled America, searching for Freddie's father. Among other places, their travels take them through Detroit during a period of labor revolt.
Publication history[]
Kings in Disguise started out as James Vance's idea for a play called On the Ropes.[4] After reworking it as a comic book script, he teamed up with artist Dan Burr to create the six-issue limited series published by Kitchen Sink.
Kings in Disguise was issued in trade paperback by Kitchen Sink in 1990; and re-issued by W. W. Norton with an introduction by Alan Moore in 2006. It was translated into Italian in 1991 by , and again in 2006 by . The French publisher released a French edition in 2003. Swedish and Spanish translations are in the works.[5]
The long-awaited sequel, On the Ropes, was published in 2013.[6] On the Ropes has been positively reviewed by, among others, the Los Angeles Times,[7] Publishers Weekly,[8] and Alan Moore.[9]
Awards[]
- 1989 Eisner Award Best Single Issue/Story — Kings in Disguise #1
- 1989 Eisner Award Best New Series
- 1989 Harvey Award Best New Series
Sources consulted[]
Notes[]
- ^ Weiner, Stephen. The 101 Best Graphic Novels (NBM, 2005).
- ^ Kings in Disguise page Archived 2009-07-12 at the Wayback Machine, W.W. Norton website. Accessed Jan. 14, 2014.
- ^ Kings in Disguise S/N HC page, Steve Krupp's Curio Shoppe. Accessed Jan. 14, 2014.
- ^ Dueben, Alex . "James Vance is 'On the Ropes'," Comic Book Resource (Mar. 13, 2013).
- ^ Vance, James. "Kings in Disguise Sidebars," James Vance website. Accessed Sept. 16, 2012.
- ^ On the Ropes page, W.W. Norton website. Accessed Jan. 14, 2014.
- ^ Ulin, David L. The Reading Life: James Vance and Dan E. Burr's new graphic novel goes to the circus," Los Angeles Times (Mar. 5, 2013).
- ^ "On the Ropes," Publishers Weekly (Aug. 27, 2012).
- ^ "About," Dan Burr's official website. Accessed Jan. 17, 2014.
References[]
- Vance, James (2006). Kings in Disguise. Dan Burr, ill. New York: W.W. Norton. ISBN 0-393-32848-1. OCLC 62697235.
External links[]
- Kitchen Sink Press titles
- Comic book limited series
- Harvey Award winners for Best New Series
- 1988 comics debuts